What does 'brevity is the soul of wit' mean?

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Brevity is the Soul of Wit
The proverb 'brevity is the soul of wit' means that articulate and
intelligent communication (speech and writing) should use few and
wisely chosen words. It is associated with the play 'Hamlet,' by
William Shakespeare.

In Shakespeare's day, 'wit' principally referred to intelligence,
and the essence or soul of being intelligent is to convey your
thoughts as briefly and efficiently as possible. Here is the
context of the line:

LORD POLONIUS
This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.(The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Act 2,
scene 2.)

It should also be noted that this phrase is very ironic in the
context of the play, as Polonius is anything but brief in his long
speeches.

The quotation is this: .
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. .
It comes from the play Ham…let , by William Shakespeare, and is spoken by the character Polonius.

"Brevity is the soul of wit" is a line from Hamlet, Act 2. It is said by Polonius, and it is ironic because although Polonius is saying that brevity is a virtue, it appears to… be a virtue he does not posess. He is incapable of brevity, which by his maxim means he has very little wit.

"Brevity is the soul of wit" is a quotation from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2. It is said by the tedious counselor Polonius, who ironically is neither brie…f nor witty. The play is Hamlet , Act II, scene ii, line 90: Polonius: My liege, and madam, to expostulate What majesty should be, what duty is, What day is day, night night, and time is time, Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time; Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad. . . ..
The play ' Hamlet ' contains this proverb, but Shakespeare also made other references to ephemerality outside of the context of concise expression and more within the sense of human lives in other plays; the sense of 'brevity' in 'The Tempest' could make an interesting comparison with the more light-hearted sense of this proverb in 'Hamlet.'

This is a joke based upon the quote "brevity is the soul of wit" meaning that you must be succinct in order to communicate effectively. Brief lingerie is more revealing; short… nightgowns leave more leg exposed. So, that is a humorously lascivious remark.

If you mean how to say in layman terms of the English of today, I think something like 'keep it short' should suffice. It's all about simplicity and lucidity now. But most o…f the people now go with 'cut the crap' or something equally offensive.

Polonius says it in Act 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The irony is that Polonius is a windbag to whom brevity is unknown. The person he is speaking to, Gertrude, is the mistress …of the terse remark. Her comment: "More matter with less art."

This is said by Polonius in Hamlet in Act 2 Scene 2. The irony is, of course, that Polonius cannot be brief and is of course witless (but does not have the wit to realize he i…s saying this about himself.) Here's the context: Polonius is about to tell the king and queen that he thinks Hamlet is crazy from frustrated love for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter. He says this: My liege and madam, to expostulate what majesty should be, what duty is, why day is day, night is night and time is time, were but to waste night, day, and time. Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. Your noble son is mad..
When he says "I will be brief" we are tempted to shout out "Too Late!", but the succinctness of "Your noble son is mad" is promising. Can he keep up this brevity? Alas, no, he cannot help himself and blithers on as follows: Mad call I it for to define true madness, what is't but to be nothing else but mad?.
Thanks, Captain Obvious. Evidently he realizes that he has failed in his project to be more succinct that has been his usual practise. He says: But let that go..
To which Gertrude, who is a true mistress of brevity and pithiness responds: More matter with less art..
Indeed.

It is self-explanatory. "Brevity" means terseness, saying things with few words. "Wit" is intelligent and clever use of language, although it can also mean just plain intellig…ence. Saying that something is the soul of something is the same as saying that it is at the heart of that thing, or that it is the essence of that thing. So, the saying could be rephrased (with a less satisfactory rhythm) as "brevity is at the heart of wit" or "brevity is the essence of wit". Therefore what it means is that if you want to speak intelligently you should use just as many words as you need and no more. Of course it says that much more briefly and therefore more intelligently. The irony is that the guy who says this line, Polonius in Hamlet, is notoriously neither brief nor witty.